There's also a new interview James did with Time Out Sydney (via JMMB) to promote The Last Station which opens on April 1 in Australia. Below is an excerpt from the interview.

Your wife [Anne-Marie Duff] is in the film too. You must be excited to have a baby on the way. Very excited! All the usual nerves, but we're very excited.

You've just completed The Conspirator. How was it being directed by Robert Redford?The weirdest thing about Robert is that he forces you to call him ‘Bob'. It's a bit like calling Prince Charles ‘Chuck'.

Rumours are rife on the internet that you've been cast in The Hobbit. Are you Bilbo Baggins?No, I'm not. I can tell you that for a fact. [Nick Dent]

McAvoy had been keen on the role for years, sticking with the project even as his own profile was raised significantly through not only The Last King of Scotland (2006) and Wanted (2008) but also Atonement (2007) and Becoming Jane (2007).

''It was one of those things that when the film finally came back and they said they had an opportunity to get it off the ground again, a lot of people expected me to say, 'No thanks, I've moved on in my career and I'm doing better now,''' McAvoy recalls. ''But there was no reason not to do it - it was a brilliant script and you shouldn't turn your back on good work.''

The work, adapted from a novel by Jay Parini, relies on the diaries kept by those who orbited Tolstoy.

''A lot of people might think that the high-strung portrayal of that household might be over the top or even made up but it really was like that,'' McAvoy says. ''It might not have been as funny as we portray it sometimes but it all went down like that. My character kept multiple diaries, so you could find an entry that reflected how your character felt in relation to a scene in the film.

''You knew that he wrote that down that very evening, just hours after the event.'' [SMH]

Ewan did an interview with the Daily Mail to promote The Ghost Writer which opens on April 16 in the UK. It comes with three photos from a photoshoot, and an excerpt from the lengthy interview is below.

McGregor was once a party animal who enjoyed all that London’s nightlife had to offer. He clearly felt it was getting out of hand, and hasn’t touched alcohol for years.

“This November it’ll be ten years since I gave up, and I don’t really miss it.”

He pauses, running a hand through his hair.

“Actually, occasionally I do. There are times when I think about it, but I always know that when I’m thinking about it there’s something wrong. The problem isn’t that I want a drink; it’s that for me - as it is for a lot of other people - drink was a way to dull the pain of something else. For people who drink a lot it’s a way of not dealing with emotions and feelings.”

What was he avoiding?

“I think it was growing up. It’s hard to say without making it sound dramatic, which it isn’t. I was just somebody who always liked to drink a lot. So now when I think about drinking I ask myself, OK, what is it? It’s not really that you’re thirsty for a beer, because you haven’t had a beer for ten years. It’s often something else that’s bothering me.”

McGregor, 38, grew up in Crie ff, Perthshire and his parents, Carol and James, are both teachers. For the last 15 years he has been happily married to French production designer ÈveMavrakis, and they have three daughters, Clara, 14, Esther, eight, and Jamiyan, also eight, who was adopted. He has an older brother, Colin, an ex-RAF fighter pilot who served in Iraq. The brothers are close, although they disagreed over the British Government’s decision to go to war in the Gulf.

“He was very gung-ho about wanting to go there, and I found that upsetting. Because I’m trained to be an actor, I was in a different camp on that situation, and I find that quite diffi cult to reconcile. But I learned to appreciate that that was the path he took. I respect that, and I respect all our forces.

“I went out to Basra to meet some of them and I’m full of respect for their work. I don’t think it should be any other way. I worried about Colin more later on, because - and I don’t know if I should say this - I think he felt that they shouldn’t be there. I thought that was scarier than anything, the idea of being out there and flying and putting yourself at risk if you didn’t know why you were there. I thought that was pretty hardcore.”

McGregor swells with pride when he describes how his brother took him for a ride in a Tornado jet.

“We went barrelling down the runway and I was in the seat directly behind him, and because you can’t see what’s coming you can’t prepare for the G-force. You’re wearing a G-suit that inflates and pushes on your body, and it pushes the blood back. Without it you’d just pass out, as the G-force is unbelievable. It’s horrible.

“I was a little sick, but not too much. We did a lot of low-level stu ff and then he went up to 2,000ft, over the clouds, and I started to sweat and I was thinking, ‘Conquer it, conquer it!’ I managed to be all right, but then he asked me to change the frequency on the radio, and as I put my head down he veered o ff. I couldn’t get my head back up, and it’s horrible when you can’t see. I instantly threw up. When you land, you’ve got your little bag of sick on your lap, and the canopy comes up and the ground-crew fella comes up the ladder and he says, ‘OK?’ And you have to hand him the bag.” [Martyn Palmer via Best of Ewan]

Tuesday, 30 March 2010

MTV is giving the public the chance to choose the nominees for the 2010 MTV Movie Awards. You have to register to vote, and voting ends April 9. Gerard Butler is up for Best Villain, Best Ass Kicking Star, and Global Superstar. The following films are also up for nominations: Law Abiding Citizen (Best WTF Moment, Best Villain), The Bounty Hunter (Best Kiss), The Ugly Truth (Best Kiss). Thanks to GerardButler.net for pointing this out.

McGregor is one of the most astounding actors of our lifetime, starring in major movies such as “Trainspotting,” “Moulin Rouge” and the “Star Wars” prequels. He also helped to define the ’90s youth generation and became the poster boy of the British film industry.

This item is a great gift for any true McGregor fan. What better way to impress your friends and family than to have Obi Wan greet them on your voicemail? His seductive Gallic tones would surely entice any caller. And not only shall you be getting the gift of Mr. McGregor’s delectable voice, but you shall be giving a voice to the many poverty and at-risk children that Children Mending Hearts help on a daily basis.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for any “Ewan’s Angel,” and one that will help support a better life for an “Angel” at Children Mending Hearts.

The bidding for Ewan McGregor’s voicemail ends on April 6 at 1:08 p.m. [Amanda Mc Keever]

Ewan McGregor had reportedly signed up for Madonna's new film W.E., but a representative for Ewan says that he is not doing the film. Thanks to Mandy for the information.

Ewan McGregor’s involvement in Madonna’s “W.E.” first swirled after Perez Hilton reported the story. The blogger wrote, “McGregor will play Edward VIII who abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. We absolutely adore her as a musical artist, but we’re not holding our breath for a hit film. But maybe she’ll prove us wrong with these casting choices?” [AcesShowbiz]

It appears that Ewan has a small part in Nanny McPhee & The Big Bang, the sequel to the 2005 film. The film opens on Friday, March 26 in the UK. A film synopsis is below.

This time Maggie Gyllenhaal is single mum Isabel Green (hubbie Ewan McGregor is off to fight the Hun in WW2) with three out of control nippers to contend with and two insufferably posh evacuee cousins about to arrive on their farm. Also in the cast are Rhys Ifans as Isabel’s spivvish brother-in-law, Maggie Smith plays a docile shop owner and Ralph Fiennes is a stiff-upper lipped War Office commander. [The List]

Dougray Scott was recently cast in The Quinn-Tuplets, another CBS drama. The show is about "five adult quintuplets (Amber Tamblyn, Anna Chlumsky, David Giantoli, Kenneth Mitchell and Sam Witwer), whose entire childhood was documented on TV." Dougray Scott will play, Michael Adatto, the filmmaker of the documentary who married their mother.

McGregor will portray King Edward VIII in the film's period narrative which will follow his character's famous abdication of the throne in 1936 to marry American socialite and divorcee, Wallis Simpson, who will be played by Vera Farmiga.

Abbie Cornish will lead the contemporary parallel narrative, such as that in "Julie & Julia," and will play Wally Winthrop, a character who has romantic problems of her own as well as an obsession with the life of the aforementioned Duchess of Windsor, Simpson. [The Playlist]

On Friday Ewan gave a lecture at the California Institute of the Arts at the Bijou Theater in front of a crowd of acting, directing, and animation students. You can go to the Institute's blog for more on Ewan's lecture. Thanks again to Mandy for the link.

Monday, 22 March 2010

Written and directed by Justin Kerrigan, I Know You Knowstars Robert Carlyle as "Charlie, a highly charged individual on the edge. He's an undercover agent, always on an important mission, always on the move. Jamie (Arron Fuller), his son, is fascinated by his father's espionage work until the world of spies becomes all too real. Charlie is unpredictable and explosive, yet kind-hearted and fiercely protective of his Jamie who hero-worships him."

John sat down with Scotland on Sunday to answer a few questions. Check out an excerpt of John's interview which was first published on March 14:

When did you lose your virginity?I was 23.

Who was your favourite teacher and why?Bev Holt. She wasn't a teacher but she worked at my school. She played the piano for our Glee-like choir. She's a very good friend and the best musician I know. We also worked together running a charity called Dreamers Workshop, where we teach life skills through theatre to young people.

Who is your fantasy date?Jamie Redknapp.

What would you do if you were invisible? I would go to a Scotland rugby game and sneak into the locker room.

What is your most treasured possession?My partner Scott and my dogs.

What do you remember better, your first car or first kiss?Both. My first kiss was in a swimming pool. It was the best kiss. I got my first car when I was 16. My Dad took me to pick it out, and I got a Volkswagen Scirocco.

If you didn't have your current career, what would you do?I wouldn't know what else to do. When I was younger I wanted to be an airline pilot but that lasted for about 30 seconds.

What do you think of celebrity? I love it. I love being recognised. I don't know why anyone would turn their back on it. [Scotsman.com]

James is featured in the March 2010 issue of GQ Germany and some outtakes from his photoshoot are below. There are even more photos at photographer Roger Moenks' website - just click on Celebrity and Fashion 1 for the rest.

"I'd like to be Philip Seymour Hoffman's boyfriend. I think we'd make a good couple."

If the rule in Hollywood is that the closet doors must stay resolutely closed, then Ewan McGregor has just thrown them open to the soundtrack of I Am What I Am with a rustle of pink taffeta and a whiff of Dolce & Gabbana. He's not coming out, though. Of course he's not. McGregor's not gay; he's been married – to French production designer Eve Mavrakis – for nearly 15 years and they have three daughters (Clara, 14, Esther, eight, and Jamiyan, seven, who the couple adopted from Mongolia). But that's not what we're interested in here. Today, it's all about the boys. And, as it happens, if McGregor had to choose a "bf", Mr Hoffman would be the lucky fella.

"We'd look good, we'd look slightly odd and we'd go to interesting parties and people would be interested in us," says McGregor, clearly warming to his theme. "I don't know him, but I'd like to be his boyfriend."

If the subject matter seems a little unusual, the reason is McGregor's new film, I Love You Phillip Morris. A funny, tragic, quirky movie, written and directed by Bad Santa creators Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, ILYPM is an astonishing, absurdist, gay romance. [Claire Black]

Shooting on Knockout is expected to go on through Thursday in Los Alamos, New Mexico. There is no word on whether Ewan McGregor will be in New Mexico for the shoot, but here's the filming schedule:

Monday through Tuesday

Location – Based camp at West Road between the Ice rink and Camp May Road. Filming at State Road 4 near American Springs Road/Dome Road. West Road open to traffic. Intermittent traffic control at SR 4.

Wednesday through Thursday

Location – Empty lot in Ponderosa Estates. Base camp at the Golf Course parking lot. Intermittent traffic control in the vicinity of Aspen Drive near Parker Construction in Ponderosa Estates.

Friday, 12 March 2010

Gerard and his co-star Jennifer Aniston attended the UK premiere of The Bounty Hunter at London's Vue West End today (March 11). The Bounty Hunter opens in the US on Friday, March 19. More photos of Gerard and Jennifer on the red carpet are below. Even more photos are available at Daylife.

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